What better way to celebrate summer than by taking a road trip? Nestled between Niagara Falls, Mount Rushmore, Alcatraz Island and dozens of other destinations are these nostalgic, gaudy, run-down and kitschy locations. TIME takes a look (in alphabetical order) at 50 of the greatest

Jimmy Carter Peanut Statue, Plains, Ga.

By Nate RawlingsWednesday, July 28, 2010

Karl Schatz / Aurora Creative / Getty Images

What has to be the strangest monument ever to an American President, the Jimmy Carter Peanut Statue began far from its current home. During the 1976 presidential campaign, members of the Indiana Democratic Party built the statue to honor Carter as he swung through the state. The 13-ft.-tall peanut crafted from plaster and mesh pays homage to the 39th President's early career as a peanut farmer and features a spot-on toothy grin. In 2000, a careless driver smashed into the statue, but it has been restored and now resides not far from Route 45 outside Carter's hometown of Plains, Ga.